Witnesses said they saw the dolphin on the beach off Ocean Avenue. Initially, they pushed the dolphin back into the water, but it came back on land. They then wrapped it in cold towels and kept it wet, the report said.

Staffers from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine responded to the beach later Saturday. They identified the animal as a male common dolphin, the report said. A necropsy was planned within the next few days.